Funding Programs

We know the programs and the people behind them

Funding a real project is rarely about one grant. It is about building a stack, the right programs in the right order, with debt and equity in the mix. Below is how we do it, and every program we work with.

Get the plain-language funding guide

Our Approach

How we build a capital stack

Few projects are funded by a single program. On one recent pilot phase, we combined commercial debt with grants layered across several federal and provincial programs, each application sequenced so one approval strengthens the next. That is what funding strategy means. We build the whole architecture.

Map the Landscape

Every program your project could touch, scored for fit, timing, stacking rules, and cost-share.

Sequence the Asks

Applications ordered so early wins de-risk the project and unlock larger commitments.

Author & Advocate

We write the applications and work the relationships. Program officers know our files are complete.

Report & Retain

Post-award compliance and reporting that keeps funders confident and doors open for the next phase.

Program Experience

Programs we have worked with

Each links to a full guide on what the program funds, what reviewers look for, and how we have used it.

Global Affairs Canada

CanExport Community Investments

CanExport Community Investments supports communities in attracting, retaining, and expanding foreign direct investment.

Our experience. We secured the first CanExport Community Investments grant ever awarded to an Indigenous community in Canada, opening a federal investment attraction pathway no Nation had accessed before.

Read the full CanExport guide →

Emissions Reduction Alberta

ERA Technology & Innovation Funding

ERA invests provincial funds in technologies that reduce emissions and grow Alberta's economy, from carbon capture to industrial transformation.

Our experience. A partner's advisory work with a major Canadian electricity producer contributed to a $5M ERA grant award for a carbon capture and storage feasibility study.

Read the full ERA guide →

Alberta Innovates

Technology & AI Innovation Programs

Alberta Innovates funds applied research and technology commercialization across energy, cleantech, and artificial intelligence.

Our experience. A partner secured $1M from Alberta Innovates for AI and innovation development of a world-first subsurface imaging tool, part of $3M in total pilot funding raised.

Read the full Alberta Innovates guide →

Indigenous Services Canada

Community Opportunity Readiness Program (CORP)

CORP supports First Nations in pursuing economic opportunities. Feasibility, business planning, and project development costs that move community-owned enterprises toward launch.

Our experience. We prepared CORP applications across multiple project phases for a First Nation's commercial agriculture enterprise, including engineering design scopes for both the facility and the building.

Read the full CORP guide →

Indigenous Services Canada

Strategic Partnerships Initiative (SPI / SICEI)

SPI aligns multiple federal partners behind Indigenous-led economic development, including clean energy through SPI's regional clean energy initiatives. On the Prairies these are the Saskatchewan Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (SICEI) and the Alberta Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (AICEI).

Our experience. We structured a clean energy hybrid microgrid pilot application under SICEI as part of a layered, multi-program funding strategy.

Read the full SPI / SICEI guide →

Prairies Economic Development Canada

Community Economic Development & Diversification (CEDD)

PrairiesCan's CEDD program supports projects that diversify prairie economies and create community benefit. A strong fit for community-owned enterprise infrastructure.

Our experience. We facilitated direct engagement with PrairiesCan senior business officers, leading to an invited expression of interest for a client's enterprise project.

Read the full CEDD guide →

Prairies Economic Development Canada

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII)

RAII supports AI adoption and commercialization across the Prairies, including applications of AI in energy and agriculture.

Our experience. We prepared a RAII expression of interest for an Indigenous-led AI initiative, with research partnership pathways explored alongside leading machine learning institutes.

Read the full RAII guide →

Natural Resources Canada

Clean Energy for Rural & Remote Communities (CERRC)

CERRC funds renewable energy and capacity building in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, including demonstration projects for innovative microgrid systems.

Our experience. We secured a $1,000,000 CERRC approval for a First Nation's off-grid hybrid microgrid, now advancing through detailed design.

Read the full CERRC guide →

Government of Canada · NRCan-led

Wah-ila-toos Clean Energy Initiative

Wah-ila-toos is the federal single window for clean energy in Indigenous, rural, and remote communities, bringing CERRC, Northern REACHE, and the Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative behind one application.

Our experience. The $1M CERRC award we secured is administered under Wah-ila-toos as a demonstration project, so we know the initiative from application through federal administration.

Read the full Wah-ila-toos guide →

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program

The ACT Research and Innovation Stream is closed to direct applications. AAFC now delivers pre-commercial agricultural clean-tech funding through the ACT Accelerator, $30M over two years (to March 31, 2028), via six delivery organizations that each run their own intakes.

Our experience. We structured a CEA clean energy innovation pilot application under the ACT Innovation Stream.

Read the full AAFC guide →

Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

Youth Employment & Skills Program (YESP)

YESP subsidizes wages for youth aged 15 to 30 working in agriculture and agri-food, with up to 80% of wages covered for Indigenous employers and youth facing barriers.

Our experience. Our YESP application for a First Nation community gardening initiative was approved in May 2026, funding youth workers who grow food for their own community.

Read the full YESP guide →

Saskatchewan Indigenous Enterprise Foundation (formerly the Saskatchewan Indian Equity Foundation)

SIEF Business Financing

SIEF provides developmental lending and business support for First Nations entrepreneurs and community-owned enterprises in Saskatchewan.

Our experience. We prepared a SIEF Stage Two business plan covering technology verification, market validation, community engagement, and capital partnership management.

Read the full SIEF guide →

Provincial Utility Programs

Net Metering & Solar Incentive Programs

Provincial net metering and rebate programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan have moved hundreds of distributed energy systems from quote to connection.

Our experience. We secured net metering program grants for clients across both provinces through our solar delivery years, including a 200 kW flat-roof array in downtown Calgary approved under Alberta's former solar rebate program.

Read the full net metering guide →

Indigenous-Focused Lenders

Farm Credit Canada & First Nations Bank of Canada

Beyond grants, Indigenous financing teams at FCC and FNBC provide the debt layer that completes most capital stacks for community-owned enterprises.

Our experience. We delivered business cases to Indigenous financing teams at both institutions and managed letter-of-interest processes on behalf of a First Nation client.

Read the full lenders guide →

Related Insights

Newest funding guides

Loan guarantees are becoming a central piece of the capital stack. Start here: Indigenous loan guarantee programs in Canada and the BC First Nations Equity Financing Program.

Which programs fit your project?

Eligibility, stacking rules, and intake windows change constantly. Tell us about your project and we will map the funding landscape for it.

Ask About Funding